Chapter 156: They’ve Come Looking
A smile appeared on Mrs. Chen’s lips.
She was truly satisfied with the girl, Lian’er. Not only was she capable, but most importantly, she was loyal to Little Fei.
She gave Li Chunhua a look. Li Chunhua got up and pulled Lian’er to her feet. Mrs. Chen smiled and said, "You silly girl, our family isn’t some great household. We don’t have a custom of kneeling at the drop of a hat. Alright, let’s all go into the city in a bit."
After the meal, Lian’er and Li Chunhua cleared the bowls and chopsticks while Lan Zhi wiped the table.
Gu Fei pulled her mother into a room and handed her a few silver notes. "Mother, you should still manage the family’s money from now on. I didn’t give it to you on the road because I was afraid it would get lost."
Mrs. Chen took them and was startled. She could still recognize a few numbers, and these silver notes added up to a full two hundred taels.
"This much?"
Mrs. Chen thought for a moment. "I’ll take some to use for now. With this much silver in my possession, I’m really afraid of losing it. When it’s spent, I’ll ask you for more."
She took a fifty-tael silver note and returned the rest to Gu Fei.
Gu Fei tucked them into her robes and linked arms with Mrs. Chen. "Mother, let’s go! We’ve been here for days and still haven’t had a proper look around Ping’an City."
Mrs. Chen cheered up as well. "Let’s go, let’s go! We need to buy some fabric, too. The New Year is coming, and everyone needs a new set of clothes."
A short while later, the whole family set off for the city in three mule-drawn carts.
First, they went to the government office to process Lian’er’s indenture contract. Then, Mrs. Chen broke a silver note and sent Gu Zhang, Er Lang, and Sanlang to buy charcoal basins and candles. She had Gu Qing stay behind to drive the cart for them and then led the women into a fabric shop.
As soon as they entered the fabric shop, Mrs. Chen began to feel uncomfortable.
She hadn’t noticed it on the street, but the fabric shop was filled mostly with female customers.
The southern women all wore long, cotton-padded *beizi*, or perhaps fur jackets and fur skirts in the winter. Some wore padded capes or fur cloaks over their outfits, which they would take off upon entering a building, revealing their slim and graceful figures.
It was nothing like them, who came from the north in their sheepskin jackets and thick cotton pants, looking as rustic as could be.
Gu Fei tugged her mother’s sleeve and whispered, "Mother, how about we buy ready-made clothes instead of fabric? We don’t know how to make these southern styles yet, and besides, with so many people in the family needing new clothes, there’s not enough time to make them all."
"We can just get some patterned fabric for Little Cao."
Mrs. Chen hesitated for a moment. "Alright, then. Let’s go look at the ready-made clothes."
The group moved to another section to look at the ready-made clothes.
Hanging here was a wide variety of clothes, made not only of fine cotton but also of silk and brocade. The sheer number of patterns was dazzling.
The shopgirl behind the counter put on a smile. "What can I get for you ladies?"
Mrs. Chen pointed to Gu Fei. "Find a couple of outfits for my daughter to wear this season."
The shopgirl managed to understand Mrs. Chen’s regional accent and chuckled. "My, this young lady is as pretty as a flower. She certainly deserves to be dressed up nicely."
She brought out several sets. Gu Fei tried them on, and in the end, Mrs. Chen made the final decision to buy two. One was a long, cotton-padded *beizi* with a crabapple-red floral pattern, paired with a scarlet long skirt. This festive set was for the New Year.
The other was a lilac *beizi* paired with a lotus-root-pink long skirt.
When Gu Fei put this outfit on, the fit was perfect. Mrs. Chen looked her up and down, thinking to herself, ’How did my daughter turn out so beautiful? Mm, she must take after me.’
Mrs. Chen didn’t let Gu Fei take it off. "Just wear this. Don’t put that sheepskin jacket back on; it makes my daughter look frumpy."
Gu Fei was happily admiring herself in the large bronze mirror, turning this way and that, when an abrupt voice called out from behind her, "Miss Xiao Fei—"